Valentines Day
by Miadaisyc
Summary: A New Girl One-shot for Valentines Day (yes I know it's a little early, but the muse was there!). Total romantic fluff. Set at Clydes Bar this is a Nick and Jess AU story where they meet for the first time. The story doesn't run along the same way as the show but you may recognise bits from episodes from all three series. I hope you enjoy it. Please review, message etc. :-D


New Girl Fanfiction

By Miadaisyc

Nick and Jess AU Story

A Valentine's Day scenario. The story doesn't follow the set pattern but I have cherry picked bits and pieces from episodes from all series (see how many you can spot). A little something in-keeping with the season!

(Cocktail recipes with help from )

AN: A big thanks to Ztofan for the encouragement and super fast Beta skills. I hope you enjoy this One-shot. Any reviews, likes, PMs, follows, favs very much appreciated. I don't own the characters, but enjoy playing with them!

The scene – Clyde's Bar, Valentine's Day (it was a Friday)

_Urgh, couples are the worst, _thought Nick to himself as he watched the sickening couple in front of him link arms and drink their fruity, overpriced cocktails in unison. _I hate Valentine's Day._ A turtle face scowl formed on his face and he turned to the back of the bar to grab his beer to take a swig, trying to take the bitter taste of bile out of his mouth and erase the look of smugness they were projecting. _Yeah, you think you're happy now man, but wait till she finds someone else with a bigger wallet then see how fast she's out the door, ya pathetic sap!_

Scorn etched on his brow; he remembered that he was not always this way. He had been happy once upon a time. Last year, he'd exchanged sappy heart shaped gifts and cards with Caroline and even surprised her one time and lit goddamned candles everywhere for her, almost burning down her apartment at one point, but that wasn't important. It was the thought behind it that mattered. He'd cared enough to do so, bearing his heart, only for her to crush it into pieces six months later when she decided she was finished with him. What a waste of time. He was never going to do that again, EVER. No way. From now on, Nick Miller was a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy. All emotions locked away from that devious and soul crushing sex known as woman.

Nick resolutely finished his beer and tossed the empty bottle into the recycling bin and prepared himself to serve another loved up couple. He turns to the bar to see that Big Bob had that covered, so he decided to collect a few empties instead. Grabbing a tray he moved his way through the heart shaped balloons, and scattered rose petals that the boss had insisted be scattered to through the bar, for ambience he said. Nick just thought it was just another mess to clear up at the end to the night. Still, the customers seemed to appreciate the décor and his tips had certainly been on the generous side so far. That was really the only reason he'd offered to work that night, the money was good, and there may even be a hot girl just waiting for a bit of 'Miller time'.

Making his way through the groups of seemingly happy 'in love' people, he collected empty glasses and bottles with little fuss and bother. He'd just dropped off one load for Big Bob to deal with and had picked up another empty tray when he spotted someone who seemed to be even less than enthusiastic about the day than he was.

She was sitting on a barstool at the end of the bar by herself and from what Nick could tell, she was petite in stature and frame with a mass of wavy brunette curls tumbling over her shoulders. He couldn't actually see her face, as her head was down on her hands with her hair tumbling forward._  
_  
She was obviously upset about something (hers was not a happy posture), and he didn't really want to get involved with any sort of romantic dispute or upset. It was none of his business. _Maintain the distance, Miller_ – _keep_ _three feet of bar between you and the customer at all times _he told himself like a mantra.

But something about her touched him. On a day which should be filled with the possibility of love and romance, she seemed so utterly alone. Nick could sympathize, as he knew how that felt (_oh boy did he_), perhaps just this once he could do something nice. He'd buy her a drink – nothing more, no promises of anything more, just to be friendly to another human being.

"Hey, miss, are you okay? Can I get you something to drink?" Nick leaned over the bar towards her; his words came out kind and softly spoken, not wanting to startle the girl too much.

Aware that someone was speaking to her, the girl slowly lifted her head, her hair falling away from her face as a hand shyly brushed her bangs from her eyes and placed a pair of dark framed glasses on the bridge of her nose.

Nick was taken aback for a moment when two startlingly large blue eyes came into view. Dark lashes batted away some stray tears making her eyes looked like liquid blue pools and a jolt of electricity through his body when her eyes met his. The rest of the face followed, and he noticed a cute nose and cherry red lips and a smooth, pale complexion.

Wow, she certainly wasn't like the other type of girls that frequented the bar, the predatory Amazonian types with their short skimpy dresses and designer shoes just waiting for a rich guy to whisk them away. No this girl was beautiful, but she seemed to have an innocence about her. Her clear, unguarded eyes held no guile or pretence.

As she hadn't spoken yet, Nick repeated the question. The girl spoke.

"Oh yes…um…well I'm ok…sort of." She took a deep breath and spoke again. "Hi, my name is Jessica Day, and I've just been dumped by my boyfriend of six years. What drink can you recommend for this situation, barkeep?"

Nick smiled sympathetically at her, his brown eyes crinkling at her honesty,  
"Well, just been dumped Jess," (he hoped that this sounded funny and not hurtful), "My name is Nick Miller, bartender (he held up a pretend identity badge like they did on CSI). How about a shot of tequila to get you started? Instant fire for your insides to help the recovery; I drank bottles of the stuff when I got dumped six months ago!"

_Wow where had that come from_? Nick thought to himself, he'd never spoken that out loud to anyone, let alone a stranger. Only his roommates Schmidt, Coach and Winston knew this. They literally had to wrestle the bottle away from him at times. He was going to have to watch himself around her or he would be telling her his life story before too long.

It seemed to work, though. Jess sat up more and looked surprised. She'd even giggled a little when he'd pretended he'd shown the badge. Her mouth started a little smile at the corners and Nick was pleased that he seemed to be cheering her up. After a little time, Jess nodded to him, "Yes, I think a shot of tequila would be perfect right now, thank you Nick."

He smiled to himself as she said his name, and grabbed a couple of shot glasses and poured them both a shot. He shook his head when she went to get her purse to pay. "No, this one is on me, let's drink a toast to being single on Valentine's Day."

Jess's face seemed to drop again at the words and Nick mentally kicked himself for being so stupid. _Too soon, Miller_! He watched as her face seemed to run through a gamut of emotions before settling on a resigned indifference look and with a deep sigh, she clinked her glass with his and drank a toast. "Oh my" she exclaimed as the alcohol made its way through her body. Nick laughed, but not unkindly.

Jess caught his expression and laughed back, "Hey, you were right, this was just what I needed. I think from now on, you should make all my drink choices for me. You are obviously the expert. I want to get completely wasted tonight and you're in charge. Here's my credit card, don't stop pouring until I am either dancing on the bar, singing lewd songs or passed out on the floor, in which case here is my address, (she grabbed a pen and hastily wrote her address and number on a napkin) so you can put me in a cab and send me on my way – agreed?"

Nick looked at her intently. He doubted it would take very much alcohol before she was very drunk and he didn't really want to do that to her. But she was obviously a grown up and knew her own mind, so he thought of a way where he could still give her drinks but not get her totally plastered, since that didn't sit right with him.  
He glanced at the clock, 9:15pm, Amanda was due in at 9:30 to take over for him. Great, he thought, that meant he would be able to keep her entertained all evening, if she let him.

"Well Jess, as much as I'm up for drinking to forget, it's kind of my sweet spot, I have a suggestion for ya, how about I take you on a fantasy date?" he paused for a second when he saw her mouth open and shut with surprise. "This fantasy date will involve you telling me some of the places in the world you would hypothetically like to spend Valentine's Day and why, and I will make you a drink according to the destination of your choice. How does that sound?"

He figured by getting her to talk, she would take her time with the drinking and not go crazy. Also, he loved the sound of her husky voice, so it was no hardship on his part. He watched as Jess's face lit up with a huge smile, it made him glow from the inside, like she had lit a fire within him. He made her smile, and it made him want to make her smile more.

"That is such a lovely idea Nick, and I can try lots of drinks I've never tried before. This is going to be so much fun." She clapped her hands and did a little happy dance in her seat.

Nick laughed at this, "Well start thinking where you'd like to go, I've got fifteen minutes left of my shift, then I'm all yours. I'll be back soon, I've just got to serve a bit longer."

Jess watched as he scooted down the bar to serve a small line of customers. She had come here wanting to drown her sorrows, then go home with a tub of Ben and Jerry's and her DVD of _Dirty Dancing_ and spend the rest of the night sobbing on the sofa. But now, she was feeling a little better. The hurt was still there and it pained her every time she thought about Sam and how he could do this to her, on this of all days. She looked at Nick again, his strong arms gripping the surface of the bar, so confident. He looked kind of hot in a red and black plaid flannel and black jeans. She liked how his deep brown eyes crinkled at the sides when he smiled at her, and the way he rubbed his hand over the stubble on his chin when he seemed to be thinking of something. Jess blushed as his eyes caught hers staring at him across the bar, _I'm flirting with him. I've only just met him and I'm flirting with him. Well, I'm single now so this might be good practice. I won't lead him on, he seems too nice for that, but I know he's only being kind so it won't go anywhere…_

Jess looked up again to see Nick talking to someone and pointing over in her direction. The guy seemed to smile, so it must all be okay.

She straightened herself up a little when she saw Nick walking back down the bar in her direction. She hastily smoothed down the front of her red skater style dress and checked her reflection in the mirrored glass behind the bar. _A little bit dishevelled, but in a sexy kind of way_ she thought hopefully.

Nick smiled broadly as he approached Jess, he'd just squared it with the Big Bob, that he would still serve Jess after his shift was over, provided he paid for the drinks of course. Nick had explained his plan, and Bob looked over to the girl that Nick pointed to, and agreed to the scheme. He was a bit of a softy underneath it all Nick thought, but he was just grateful he'd said yes!

When he stood in front of Jess, he clapped his hands together resolutely.

"So have you decided? Where do ya wanna go first, Jess? I got the whole world here for you, just name it." He gestured to the multiple bottles behind him, his brown eyes shining.

Jess closed her eyes tightly and thought before she spoke (just like making a wish before blowing out birthday candles), "Ummmmm, I think I want to go somewhere hot and tropical. That's it Nick, take me to a tropical paradise."

"Ok, coming right up, now you have to tell me what you would be doing on this tropical date, well not EVERYTHING, you know…um…what's your dream date?  
We don't need to get into the personal stuff…" Nick trailed off, embarrassed and once again hoping he hadn't offended her. God why was he so nervous around her?

He couldn't seem to help blurting this stuff out. Normally he was cool, suave, Nick with the ladies, but this girl seemed to have his head in a spin. He couldn't seem to concentrate on anything when she started to twirl her hair in her fingers. Her hair looked so soft and shiny, he just wanted to reach over and stroke it. He looked back at the drinks behind him deciding what drink to make her while she spoke of her dream date.

"Well, I think for this date, I would like to be on the beach with someone. I'd be wearing a sarong and a hibiscus flower behind my ear. He'd be in a loose white linen shirt and cargo shorts. We'd be sitting on the beach, just the two of us, talking about our hopes and dreams, while watching the sun go down. We'd eventually fall asleep on the beach and wake up when the sun started to rise the next day and just sit in silence watching…" she stopped speaking and looked up at Nick shyly. "Was that too much? Too girly? I got a bit carried away there, didn't I?"

Nick smiled as he stirred her drink, "No Jess, that sounded great to me. And for that date you would be needing this drink." He handed over a tall glass with an orangey red liquid in it. There was also a pink umbrella with a cherry and some pineapple and lots of ice.

"This is a tequila sunrise, comprised of tequila, orange juice and cranberry juice, topped off with a little tropical fruit for you and a parasol so you don't get a sunburn!"

"Ooh, this is the prettiest drink ever." Jess ran her tongue over her lips as she tasted the cocktail. This action had Nick's eyes involuntarily darting to her mouth, daring him to wonder what the drink would taste like on her lips. He quickly flicked his eyes backs to hers before she noticed.

Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all. What had started out as a distraction tactic to stop her from being upset; was turning into something else for him altogether.

While he was making the drink, he was taking in her words and picturing himself sitting on the beach next to her watching the sun go down, the light making her hair and face glow. No words needed, just each other together in paradise. He'd had to literally slap his own face to bring him back to the bar. Luckily, Jess hadn't noticed.

Nick took a swig at the glass of orange juice he'd poured for himself. He wanted to stay sober tonight, and he needed to if he wasn't to do or say anything to this girl that he would regret later. _Keep your wits about you, Miller!_

While Jess sipped at her drink, she looked over to Nick. She was curious to find out more about him. He obviously had a story, but he seemed somewhat closed off. Yet he was being so kind to her, a total stranger, _so where was the harm_?

"So Nick, how long have you been a bartender?"

Nick sighed a little at the question. It was the one he always dreaded hearing, but she'd asked, so he would be truthful and then watch for the disappointed look on her face when she heard the answer. It always happened this way.

"Well, I originally started studying law in college, but decided to drop out. I had three semesters left to go. I came to work at this bar shortly after, and decided I liked it a lot so I stayed. I passed the bar exam though, I have a certificate to prove it, but it just didn't feel right to me. I wasn't happy."

He'd spoken as if he'd said those words a hundred times, with such a flat tone that Jess looked a little shocked. She tilted her head to one side and looked at his now blank expression, his eyes lowered to the bar as if afraid to meet her gaze.

"That was so brave of you to do that, Nick, doesn't it feel great to do something you love? I'm a teacher, I teach young kids, it's all I've ever wanted to do and I love it. It makes you feel so good when you enjoy your work, don't you think? You're obviously very good at what you do. This drink is amazing."

Nick looked up questioningly and stared directly into her blue eyes. No, there was no sign of any scorn or sarcasm there. Her face was showing genuine respect and happiness. This was a new one for him. Usually, the women in the past he'd told this to, including Caroline, had all criticized his decision and tried to get him to go back and finish his law degree. The motive was clear; they'd rather be seen with a successful and rich lawyer then just a bartender. But Jess seemed to respect and even praise his decision. She totally got him. He grinned appreciatively at her. He couldn't judge her on other people's standards. This girl was unique and special.

Nick noticed that her drink was nearly gone. Not bad so far - no dancing on the bar or passing out! If he played this right, she would get through the night and not have a huge hangover the next day. That was his aim, despite her wish to get plastered!

"So, the tropical paradise date is nearly done, I hope it was everything you expected it to be. Where to next, Jess?" Nick asked excitedly. He was starting to enjoy himself.

Jess drained the last of the sunrise drink and chewed thoughtfully on the fruit before putting the little paper parasol in her hair (_cute_, thought Nick).

"Okay, so now I think I want to go sophisticated. Hmm, oh I know, I always loved the film _Breakfast at Tiffany's_, so how about New York? I could put my hair up and wear a fancy dress and pearls while sauntering around New York, what do you think?" Asking the question, Jess scoops her hair up on top of her head with one hand while simulating smoking on a long cigarette holder, in this case a cocktail stirrer, with the other. Nick laughs at her; she is really starting to enjoy herself now.

"Well, New York is a good choice and _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ was also a great song (Jess pulls a mock frown at this). Normally I would probably suggest a Manhattan to drink but I don't think you should be mixing tequila and whiskey at this stage, so how about a Cosmopolitan? This means showing off some of my amazing cocktail shaking skills in the style of Tom Cruise in the film of the same name!"

"Get to it darling," Jess says in her most Holly Golightly of voices. Nick chuckles at this, _she really is a kooky one_, but he's pleased that he is making her laugh and she seemed to relax more. This time in an attempt to impress, Nick gathers the vodka, cranberry juice, lime juice and triple sec together with a very shiny shaker in front of him. He carefully measures them all into the shaker then proceeds to shake the cocktail in front of Jess, flipping and tossing the shaker occasionally for flair, whilst Jess looks on and applauds. He grabs a chilled cocktail glass from the fridge and with a flourish, pours in the pink frothy drink.

"For the lady." Nick adds a playful wink to the performance.

Jess delicately sniffs at the glass, and takes a sip. Her taste buds tingle with the crispness of the flavors and the glass makes her feel very elegant indeed.

"So Holly, what will you be doing on this date? New York has so much to offer."

"This one is easy, I went to New York once with Sam, for a weekend. I had a list of everything I wanted to do while we were there, but he wanted to see the basketball game so we spent most of the time trying to get tickets. When we got in Sam ate a bad hot dog and was sick for the rest of the time, so I didn't get to see anything much."

Jess looked down at the bar, the pain showing in her face as she mentioned his name. She took another sip of her drink, a bigger one to get the alcohol numbing the pain.  
Nick watched her do this, familiar with the action he had so often done himself. He risked a personal question.

"Can I ask, what happened between you two tonight?" His voice was soft and low, not wanting to pry, but wanting to know what is was that made that jerk leave such an amazing girl.

Jess remained silent, just staring at her drink. It was hard to talk to a stranger about things like this but maybe in a way it was also a neutral party. She could unburden without fear of judgement. Her eyes glistening a little with suppressed tears, she decided to just tell this kind bartender her sad story. With any luck and a few more cocktails, she wouldn't remember it later anyway!

"Well, I lived with Sam for about three years, he's a paediatrician. We met a little strangely; he thought I was this girl Katie he was supposed to meet on a blind date. I was looking for some excitement so I let him go on believing it for a while. It was fun and we were great together, and even when he found out the truth we had fallen in love. Or so I thought. We moved in together and everything was great, but with me being a teacher and him a doctor, I found his work schedule difficult and we were hardly getting to see each other. Anyway, long story short, he told me tonight that for the last couple of months he's being seeing another woman. She's the mother of one of his patients. It seems he'd found the times apart difficult to deal with too."

"I'm so sorry Jess, that's awful for you. As I mentioned before, I know what that's like." Nick reached over the bar to lightly stroke her arm and shoulder to comfort her, his face showing a concerned frown.

Jess let a couple of tears slide down her face before looking up. She smiled at his concern and patted his hand as he stroked her arm. "Thanks Nick." She choked, "The worst thing was that I had prepared a Valentine's surprise for him tonight. I'd taken the day off to make heart shaped cookies and cupcakes, I'd made a special meal and had even bought some special…um clothes…well, underwear…" She went quiet feeling a bit shocked that she'd shared so much.

Nick tried desperately not to picture her in 'special underwear' but an image popped into his head. He felt his pants tightening and sweat start to form on his forehead. He hoped to God that Jess couldn't see. He opened the chiller cabinet for a moment as if to look for something, while he cooled off. While he was under the bar he took the opportunity to grab some bar snacks by way of a diversion and when he was ready he stood up and placed a bowl of them in front of her.

Jess smiled a sad smile at Nick; she did feel a little better having said all that. Talking to strangers can be cathartic in a way and the arrival of the bar snacks made her realize how little she had eaten that day. She grabbed a few peanuts and wolfed them down, the saltiness instantly making her thirsty, so she swallowed the rest of her Cosmo in almost one go. The alcohol was starting to affect her now, she could feel her head get a little fuzzy and her eyes were starting to feel a little heavy.

"If you like, I could find this guy Sam and pay him a not so friendly visit." Nick offered with a growl in his voice, one hand making a fist and slamming it into his other hand. Again he was trying to keep it a bit lighter and playful. He was not really a fighter but for this girl he felt the need to kick this Sam's butt on her behalf.

Jess looked at the expression on his face and let out a loud laugh, her head back and eyes closed she laughed so hard, for a moment Nick was worried she was hysterical. She pulled her head back to face him, her eyes sparkling with joy and a huge grin on her face. Nick marvelled at the transformation, as if a cloud had moved out of the way of the sun. Her smile was infectious and he felt himself smile broadly too. For a moment or two they just grinned at each other.

"Aww, that's very kind of you to offer, Nick, but I think I am just going to sic my best friend Cece on him. He's terrified of her. She's a model and when Sam and I first dated she told him that she would crazy murder him if he ever did anything to hurt me. He told me because he wasn't quite sure if she'd meant it. He was terrified when I said yes she probably would and that being a model she had some quite shady contacts. And that to my knowledge at least two people on her phone that would do away with him, no questions asked!" She smiled as she recalled this memory and Nick laughed too, relieved that she had someone looking out for her.

"It looks like I'm moving back in with Cece for a while again now, until I can find another place. Oh well, onto Craigslist first thing tomorrow then…well maybe not first thing, I may have to deal with the hangover first!" Jess drained the glass and handed it back to Nick. "So that is my sad little tale barkeep, the Cosmopolitan seemed to have a truth serum in it, I wouldn't normally unload like that to a strange man."

"I'm not that strange Jess, really. I just know from experience that to keep things in makes you fester and mope and I didn't want to see that happening to you. After Caroline dumped me, my friends called me a turtle faced borderline alcoholic!"

"What's a turtle face?"

Nick pulled his face into a deep frown. Jess laughed out loud again and grabbed his chin, "I love it. It does look like a turtle!"

Nick, startled by Jess's touch put his hand over hers. Their eyes connected for a second before they pulled their hands away, a little shocked and embarrassed.

The alcohol was definitely breaking down Jess's inhibitions now. She could feel herself drawn more and more to Nick. She seemed to lose herself in his deep brown eyes when he stared at her, and she could tell he was trying so hard to cheer her up. His shift was over hours ago, and he had stayed with her this whole time not complaining. This guy was special. She could see he was a little world weary; life seemed to have kicked him in the butt, but she could see the good radiating out of him. The way he looked at her, and listened without pressing his opinion. Men, in her experience, didn't do that. He didn't try to hit on her or take advantage while she was in this emotional state. If anything, she had told him to get her sloppy drunk and she was only just nicely fuzzy.

"So Jess," Nick almost shouted out, breaking her inner analysis, "I think we have enough time left for one more date, where can I take you this time?"

Jess smiled at his choice of words. She is starting to think of the scenarios in terms of their date. The random male character has taken on the characteristics of a certain bartender standing only a couple of feet away from her. She bites her bottom lip in concentration, an action that she realizes doesn't go unnoticed by Nick, as he swallows deeply and lightly runs his tongue over his bottom lip. Where would she like him to take her on a date? This one is the hardest of them all. If she is honest with herself, he could take her anywhere and she wouldn't complain. The next drink could be plain water and she'd drink it as if he'd given her champagne.

The alcohol coursing through her is making her feel bolder and sexier and she just wants to let Nick know how grateful she is for him being there for her this night. It has been one of the best Valentine's Day ever for her and she doesn't want it to end now.

"Well Nick, as lovely as Paradise and New York were, I'm kind of an old fashioned girl at heart and for me, my perfect Valentine's date would be with a special guy who made me feel happy when at first I wasn't; who spent time with me when he didn't have to and didn't expect anything in return and who would take me around the world living my dreams without leaving my seat. I would spend my date with him eating peanuts in a bar while I watched him pour drinks doing the job he loves and maybe find a slow tune on the juke box and dance till the early hours. That would be my last perfect date. So Nick Miller, what will be my final drink tonight?"

Nick stood behind the bar transfixed by her words. He seemed to have forgotten how to breathe for a moment, and expelled a large breath before his lungs collapsed. His eyes sought out hers and found the large blue eyes slightly cloudy with emotion. She was talking about him; her last date is with him now. He swallowed again trying to keep his emotions in check. She couldn't really mean this, it was just the alcohol talking, but he knew that she could barely be drunk with the drinks he had served her. They had talked more than she had drank, and he had planned on that.

He slowly turned his back on Jess, and pulled together a couple of bottles and a small glass. He knew what he had to make her. She'd said it herself. It was one of his favorite drinks. It might be a little strong but he hoped she would like it.

"Here you go Jess," his voice was low and a bit husky with emotion, "I've made you an old fashioned. I hope you like it."

He put the drink on the bar in front of her and watched her take a slow sip, closing her eyes as she let the warmth of the whisky slide down her throat. Nick slipped slowly and quietly from behind the bar. He looked around him; the bar was empty, and they were totally alone. He spotted a note on the bar. '_**You seemed to be in a world of your own there, Miller so we closed up. Didn't want to disturb you, just lock up when you leave. Don't do anything I wouldn't do! Big Bob'**_

With a small smile, he put the note back down and went to the juke box. After a quick search he found the track he wanted.

As the music drifted into the air, Nick made his way back to Jess. She had opened her eyes upon hearing the music and held his gaze as he walked towards her. She lowered her drink when he stood before her, the air now thick and tense. He dipped his head a little and slid an arm around her waist hesitantly, as if he expected her to slap it away. Jess moved into his grasp and pressed herself lightly against his body, her arm going up to rest on his shoulder. Nick moved his other hand to hold hers against him and together they just swayed to the music, not speaking, just moving together; hardly daring to breathe in case it ruined the moment.

Jess moved her position and leaned back a little to face Nick. He stopped moving and just waited for her to speak. She looked in his eyes and smiled gently before speaking.

"Thank you Nick, for making this night so wonderful. I came here tonight to seek an alcohol-filled oblivion and get possibly the hangover from hell, but what I got was kindness and hope and a restoration in my belief that people are fundamentally good. You're one of the good ones, Nick Miller. Happy Valentine's Day."

Jess went up on her tiptoes and placed the lightest of kisses on his mouth. He closed his eyes and savored her touch. He could taste the whisky and the sugar from the Old Fashioned on her lips and in her breath as she sighed against him. He longed to pull her closer and deepen the kiss but he knew couldn't take advantage like that. She was still hurting from her split with her boyfriend, anything more now would be wrong. He was a gentleman (_dammit_!), and he would respect her. He lightly kissed her back and stroked her hair and they started to sway again with the music.

"For the record Jess, the Old Fashioned date is my favorite too."

Jess looked up at his face and smiled before laying her head on his chest once more, lost in the music and the heat of his body.

Nick still had the napkin with her address and phone number in his pocket. He would drive her home at dawn and would wait a couple of days before calling to see if she was okay and maybe if she would like to go out for some food. Not really a date, but maybe when she was ready…

For now they still had this date and plenty more slow songs lined up on the juke box to take them into the morning, and the way they held each other and moved together, they would not be leaving anytime soon.  
_**The end.**_

The music I had in mind for the duke box:

A Groovy Kind of Love – Phil Collins  
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – Stereophonics version with Jools Holland  
I Put A Spell on You – Nina Simone  
I Need Your Love So Bad – Fleetwood Mac

But insert your favorites instead. I like to go a bit old school romance for Valentines! 


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